Food adulteration has become rampant in China, which has affected not only the domestic population but also the countries importing food items from China. Various China-manufactured items including toothpaste, sweets, and dog food contained toxic chemicals, some of them even radioactive. Taiwan found the red dye imported from China for spicy seasoning was carcinogenic. In the past, the US Department of Agriculture had highlighted traces of carcinogens in the fish and shrimps imported from China.
Recently, a Chinese company was found using the same tanker truck to transport chemicals and edible oils. Experts said it leads to poisoning in human bodies. “If a tanker designed for transporting cooking oil also transports other chemical liquids, toxic residues may remain inside, posing unpredictable risks to the human body. For example, organic solvents and heavy metals can harm the respiratory and digestive systems,” Zhu Yi, food safety and nutrition professor at the China Agricultural University.
Lack of scientific standards, unhygienic conditions, and substandard ingredients are major problems that affect the food safety, said
Chinese academic and columnist Zhang Tiankan. “Firstly, the issue of passing off subpar foods for quality foods (food fraud). Secondly, the lack of food hygiene standards. Thirdly, the need for further research on the nutritional and hygiene standards for certain foods, validated by the results of scientific research,” he said.
While the controversial oil products have been removed from shelves, Chinese people are expressing anger over the potential negative impact on their health. “There’s no food safety. We only need to make sure food won’t lead to death after being eaten,” said one Chinese national on Weibo. While the incident has led Chinese authorities to investigate the matter, it has rekindled bad memories of past food scandals that occurred in China.
In 2008, over 300,000 children and infants had fallen ill after they consumed adulterated milk. Adulterated cooking oil has been a major concern. However, serious concerns were raised when viral videos revealed how the used cooking oil was extracted from sewer drains, processed and resold to restaurants and households. “The Chinese started going to Australia, started [going] to Europe to buy baby formula. I think the same thing is going to happen with cooking oil. Be careful of ‘Made in China’ food products,” Shaun Rein, founder of the China Market Research Group.
European Union, Australia, Canada, India, the US and the UK, among others, have been importing honey from China. However, food safety inspections showed the imported honey was adulterated with corn syrup, sugar cane, rice syrup or beet sugar. “Most of the honey imported from China into Europe is blended with syrup,” says Etienne Bruneau, chairman of the honey working party at the European agricultural umbrella organisation Copa-Cogeca.
Terming the imports of fake honey from China as ‘honey laundering’, the
European Union (EU) have demanded strict action. “Combine China’s market presence with its poor track record on food safety and China being targeted for so many trade and economic complaints these days and it is unsurprising that China is in the EU’s sights,” said David Dodwell, chief executive officer of the trade policy consultancy Strategic Access.
Chinese honey farmers are accused of putting sugar syrup near beehives to expedite honey production. The cheap honey from China has hurt local businesses across Europe. “There’s unfair competition coming from outside the EU, principally China,” said Yvan Hennion, an apiarist from northern France. “It’s not real honey and it’s making the price plummet.” China is the world’s biggest producer and exporter of honey.
The adulterated honey from China causes damage to the environment as sugar syrup hinders pollination activities. Moreover, it poses serious health concerns. “In taking out pollen, ultra-filtration is removing important nutritional value. Additionally, traces of antibiotics illegal in western countries, such as chloramphenicol, have been discovered in honey imported from China,” said Canadian columnist Riley Donovan. “Small-scale Chinese beekeeping operations use unlined lead-soldered drums to store their honey — a clear lead contamination risk.”
The US and EU have raised suspicion over supplies of fake cooking oil from China. American farmers and the renewable industry have demanded action against the fraudulent oil supplies. “We’re putting more pressure on the US government to say what are we really importing,” said Todd Becker, chief executive officer of Green Plains. “Somebody’s got to figure out that that’s not all Chinese used cooking oil.”
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